WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2008-04-20 Time: 00:00:00 Posted By: Jan
Pedestrians remain the most vulnerable road users but are often their own worst enemies, drunkenly wandering near roads or trying to take a shortcut across highways amid high-speed traffic.
In the past fortnight, two pedestrians were killed on the N1 and N2 when they risked crossing the dangerous, busy highways at night.
The Department of Community Safety says 27 pedestrians have been killed on the province’s roads since the beginning of the year. Of those, 13 were killed on the N1 and N2.
Department spokesperson Makhaya Manie said pedestrian deaths were an increasing problem. The department had embarked on numerous campaigns at schools and among communities alongside the highways and the R300, but was struggling to get the message across. Pedestrians who crossed highways instead of taking a longer, safer way round over bridges were particularly resistant.
| During the last festive season, 375 pedestrians were killed |
He said they would shortly embark on a winter campaign to highlight the issue of pedestrian visibility on the roads.
Cape Town Traffic Services spokesperson Merle Lourens said they were investigating the possibility of building two pedestrian bridges across the R300.
Countrywide, there are 700 000 road accidents each year, and 13 000 fatalities. These accidents and fatalities cost the economy R43-billion and pedestrians are the third largest group of accident victims.
During the last festive season, 375 pedestrians were killed, the largest single grouping among the overall death toll of 1 223. Over the Easter weekend, 65 pedestrians were killed countrywide.
A Department of Transport spokesperson said pedestrians remained the most vulnerable road users and the number of fatalities involving pedestrians was unacceptably high. Alcohol played a major role in the problem.
| ‘Motorists are urged to be on the lookout for pedestrians at night and when visibility is poor’ |
The dangers of drinking and walking were tragically evident because the high intake of alcohol could seriously slow reactions.
“By far the greater percentage of pedestrians injured or killed on our roads are found to have high levels of alcohol in their bloodstreams at the time of the accident,” said the spokesperson.
The focus of enforcement measures was multi-pronged, with more officers deployed at holiday spots, townships and villages. “Motorists are urged to be on the lookout for pedestrians at night and when visibility is poor, especially during holiday seasons, because pedestrians under the influence of alcohol are a walking danger.
“Pedestrians often under-estimate the speed and over-estimate the distance of an approaching vehicle when crossing the road. This is made worse by the consumption of alcohol.”
Arrive Alive has road safety tips for pedestrians and motorists: